In March, when the Canada-U.S. trade war erupted, Graziana Marcantonio decided to use her sewing skills to make a statement to the powerful.
The Ottawa seamstress took it upon herself to ask her fellow residents of the Sidney Towers Housing Co-operative to hang Canadian flags on their balconies, situated beside the Tesla auto showroom on Carling Avenue in Little Italy.
A special touch from Marcantonio? Sewing ties onto the flags for easier hanging, done right in the small tailor shop that operates out of the base of the building.
“I had this idea. I said, ‘We have to show our patriotism,’” recalled Marcantonio, who emigrated to Ottawa from Italy in 1966 as a teenager.
Now, as the flags purchased from the dollar store fade, Marcantonio said she feels that she and her neighbours have made their point. In the process, the building’s flags above Tesla’s logo have become a symbol for increased Canadian nationalism amid tense U.S. relations — a visual even featured in The New York Times.
But, for Marcantonio, the flag-hanging was a simple act of taking initiative, something she says she’s had no shortage of in her life.
“You just have to have ideas and fantasy sometimes to do stuff. You don’t have to spend a fortune… Move up a bit, you know? Initiative,” she said.
As of July 3, 18 flags were still hanging on the apartment building; however, given the impact of the flags and their condition, she said they will likely come down soon.
Marcantonio’s neighbours were cooperative in participating in her vision. Only one resident declined to hang a flag, she said.
SIN number on Monday, working at Joe Feller’s by Wednesday
As news played from the TV in her shop, Marcantonio recalled her speedy entry into the workforce after she arrived in Canada.
She said she arrived in Ottawa on a Saturday in November 1966, obtained her social insurance number on Monday and was working at Joe Feller’s, a 24,000-square-foot clothing retailer on Rideau Street, by Wednesday.
“I could not say a word of English,” she said about her start. Marcantonio worked at Joe Feller’s for seven years and eventually opened a tailor shop with her husband, Frank, on Preston Street.
Now, Marcantonio operates Grace Tailoring in Sidney Towers, where she lives just a few floors above. She said the Tesla showroom moved beside the building a few years ago. Recently, the spot has seen “Tesla Takedown” protests in response to the actions of Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk.
Musk — who has Canadian, American and South African citizenship — was a key backer of Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. After Trump’s victory, Musk became one of Trump’s top lieutenants in cutting and restructuring the U.S. federal public service early this year before recently splitting with Trump in a high-profile public feud about government spending.
Musk had previously expressed support for Trump’s repeated threats about making Canada the 51st U.S. state through economic coercion. Musk’s central role in Trump’s government through the first part of 2025 prompted the series of patriotic protests at Tesla dealerships across Canada.
After his break with the Trump administration, Musk announced on July 4 that he is launching a new “America Party”.
Marcantonio said her flag display was intended as a response to the disrespectful comments from Trump and Musk about Canada in the early days of the trade war. In February, Musk said Canada “is not a real country” after Canadians began petitioning to have Musk’s Canadian citizenship revoked.
“I’ve been around for a while. Even if I’m Italian, this is my home,” she said about her adopted country.
“It’s a unity thing because no matter where you go, you have your flag, then it’s a group flag,” Marcantonio said.
